FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

hazzben · December 17, 2009, 03:11:06 PM

Quote from: Knightstalker on December 17, 2009, 02:27:31 PM

But a lot of what you just pointed out is why RU and Syracuse are probably being considered.

From todays NJ Star Ledger

There was an article the other day where Joe Pa said he would prefer the Big Ten invite RU, Pitt or Syracuse.

I'd wager to say they'd be the most likely to say yes as well, which is significant.

VOJ · December 17, 2009, 03:16:25 PM

Quote from: badgerwarhawk on December 17, 2009, 02:50:08 PM
From what I have read I have the impression that above all the Big Ten wants to get into the East coast market and create a traveling partner for Penn State. Rutgers and/or Syracuse fits that bill perfectly.
Also the Big Ten commissioner has stated that the Big Ten has not spoken with any schools at this time.

Pitt would be the most logical of the schools in the Big East to join the Big 10...for the simple fact that it would be a perfect travel partner for Penn State and it would be a natural rival for the Lions...Syracuse to some extent as well, while Rutgers would be an ok traveling partner but doesn't really have a historical rivalry with Penn State.

So your divisions would look like this:

East West
Pitt Minnesota
Penn State Wisconsin
Michigan Northwestern
Ohio State Iowa
Purdue Illinois
Indiana Michigan State

I know the first thing that jumps out is Michigan State not being with Michigan, but the Michigan-Ohio State rivaly is a little more intense...Ford Field would be the site for a football championship game or how about Lambeau or Soldier Field

If you were not going geographically...

Pitt Wisconsin
Penn State Minnesota
Michigan Purdue
Michigan State Indiana
Ohio State Iowa
Northwestern Illinois

just one man's take

hazzben · December 17, 2009, 03:28:51 PM

Quote from: VOJ on December 17, 2009, 03:16:25 PM
Pitt would be the most logical of the schools in the Big East to join the Big 10...for the simple fact that it would be a perfect travel partner for Penn State and it would be a natural rival for the Lions

So your divisions would look like this:

East West
Pitt Minnesota
Penn State Wisconsin
Michigan Northwestern
Ohio State Iowa
Purdue Illinois
Indiana Michigan State

I know the first thing that jumps out is Michigan State not being with Michigan, but the Michigan-Ohio State rivaly is a little more intense...Ford Field would be the site for a football championship game or how about Lambeau or Soldier Field

If you were not going geographically...

Pitt Wisconsin
Penn State Minnesota
Michigan Purdue
Michigan State Indiana
Ohio State Iowa
Northwestern Illinois

just one man's take

The East would be just way too loaded in either scenario. One option would be to take your first split and flip MSU and OSU:

East West
Pitt Minnesota
Penn State Wisconsin
Michigan State Northwestern
Michigan Iowa
Purdue Illinois
Indiana Ohio State

The obvious objection is that you lose the yearly rivalry b/w OSU and Michigan ala Nebraska and OU being separated. This is solved by adopting the SEC's method of establishing one cross division pairing/rivalry for each team that occurs every year.

Say Michagan-OSU, Penn State-Iowa, Illinois-Indiana, Northwestern-Purdue, MSU-Wisconsin, Pitt-Minnesota

WashedUp · December 17, 2009, 03:42:27 PM

The way I see it, travel is not a huge factor in making divisions, all the teams are fairly close, so you go by historical rank (assuming Pitt).

Tier 1 (no order)
PSU
Michigan
OSU
Pitt

Tier 2
MSU
Wisconsin
Iowa

Others
Rest

Split those up into two divisions

Michigan Pitt
MSU Penn State
OSU Wisconsin
Indiana Minnesota
Purdue Iowa
Northwestern Illinois

Most balanced divisions I can get

AO · December 17, 2009, 03:45:58 PM

Perhaps some of you legal minds can explain why the Big Ten couldn't let Notre Dame keep their NBC contract for their home games? It would seem to be a very real possiblity that NBC would drop them anyways if they keep losing.

Freebird · December 17, 2009, 03:52:50 PM

Quote from: AO on December 17, 2009, 03:45:58 PM
Perhaps some of you legal minds can explain why the Big Ten couldn't let Notre Dame couldn't keep their NBC contract for their home games? It would seem to be a very real possiblity that NBC would drop them anyways if they keep losing.

The issue would be ESPN and Big Ten Networks contract with the Big Ten which has a pecking order for each game every weekend.

However I was reading on ESPN this morning that each Big Ten team receives about 20 million a year in tv money and the NBC(football only) contracts pays then 9 million for 6 games. What they didn't mention was ND probably makes more overall when all the other sports are factored in.

Freebird · December 17, 2009, 03:59:21 PM

Can someone fill me in on what you mean by a "travel partner" for these Big Ten teams?

Also how much weight does this distance debate hold? For instance isn't every Minnesota away game a flight away aside from maybe Iowa or Madison? Some thing for the smaller sports right?

tmerton · December 17, 2009, 04:41:31 PM

I grew up in Oklahoma (when a certain Minnesotan was coaching OU football), have family in Kansas, married a Nebraskan, and went to school at ND, Texas and Nebraska, so I feel like I know some of the territory around the Big 10 expansion discussion [edit - unlike other things about which I opine

].

Nebraska? I agree with hazzben. Existing rivalries are strong (they even get to play in Boulder every 2 years!) plus they hate Iowa. There's a lot of pride in the old Big 8 schools that people don't seem to recognize.

Missouri? I again agree with hazzben. Big 8 loyalty, a BIG rivalry with Kansas, and no great attraction to the Big 10.

ND? No way. When ND wanted into the conference back in the Rockne days, the conference said no. Indeed, Fielding Yost tried to get the conference to boycott the Irish altogether (ND continues to play Purdue and MSU largely bc they didn't go along), and the Skunkbears have led the anti-ND cabal from the start (there's a reason they only played ND twice between 1909 and 1979). Now, except for some on the ND faculty, most (as someone noted, especially the alums) want to remain independent. (When conference affiliation with the Big 10 was being discussed several years ago, at the same time that the ACC also was expanding, there was more alumni support for joining the ACC than the Big Integer).

Syr/Rut/Pitt - I agree with VOJ that Pitt seems like the best fit, and it would certainly help Big 10 basketball to get Pitt (or Syr obviously). But Syracuse just says East Coast to me (lacrosse is a big sport there), while Pitt does not. I think Syr would have the some of the same alumni opposition to the move as ND would.

Knightstalker · December 17, 2009, 04:46:22 PM

I know some Syracuse Alums that would embrace the move with the hopes it would revitalize the fb team. I think Rutgers would jump at the chance, it would definitely help the football team and probably a lateral move for Mens BB and maybe even a step down for womens BB, leaving the same conf with UCONN.

tmerton · December 17, 2009, 05:10:24 PM

Quote from: Knightstalker on December 17, 2009, 04:46:22 PM
I know some Syracuse Alums that would embrace the move with the hopes it would revitalize the fb team. I think Rutgers would jump at the chance, it would definitely help the football team and probably a lateral move for Mens BB and maybe even a step down for womens BB, leaving the same conf with UCONN.

I tend to agree re Rutgers. I don't know many 'cuse fb fans. What has more swing there - fb or bb?

I still think Pitt has the best fit.

OzJohnnie · December 17, 2009, 08:45:32 PM

BDB;

My sympathies to your wife and your family. A particularly difficult time of year for this.

OzJohnnie · December 17, 2009, 08:49:23 PM

And not to make light of difficult situations, but this board has had quite a string of events like this over the past six months. Tough year.

retagent · December 17, 2009, 10:31:33 PM

The split I've seen proposed, and I think it makes more sense is:

WEST EAST
Minnesota Indiana
Iowa Michigan
Wisconsin Michigan State
Northwestern Ohio State
Illinois Penn State
Purdue RU/Pitt/SU

I know it may look unbalanced strength wise, but things change. You do split up in-state rivals Purdue and Indiana, but I don't think that they really have a rivalry.

OzJohnnie · December 18, 2009, 12:16:22 AM

Ha! Only one vote for retagent in the poll. If he's started to think again then we can assume it's his, but if the "No's" are right, then it isn't.

I'm for the No's. Merry Christmas.

(Mean as heck, I know.)

OzJohnnie · December 18, 2009, 05:06:29 AM

Time for a primal Friday night scream: Yeeeeeaaaaarrrrrrgh!

And that is what the doctor ordered. Time to crack open a tasty brew. Cheers, all.